Hailey Motooka scored 13 points, including two key steals for layups during a pivotal run, as third-seeded Punahou edged Mililani 53-48 on Friday in the semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Division I Girls Basketball State Championships.

Motooka’s steal and layup just before the end of the third quarter pushed Punahou ahead 36-35, and the Buffanblu pulled away from there.

The Buffanblu (22-4) will take on top-seeded Lahainaluna in Saturday’s championship game at Neal Blaisdell Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Defense was at championship level for Punahou, which used its man-to-man coverage to lock down on the Trojans in the second half.

"Definitely, the week coming into this game we were working on double-teaming Sarah Liva," Motooka said. "The momentum started because we put more pressure on the ball. Coach always tells us the defense wins games."

The final push came with a breather.

"Before the fourth quarter, we told our girls to relax, take a breath," Punahou coach Kevin Velasco said. "We’ve kind of done that all season."

In Lahainaluna, a pressing, speedy squad that goes just as deep as Punahou, Velasco expects a battle-tested foe. The teams met in the Kaiser Invitational and the Lunas won 51-50.

"They are relentless. They have that consistency. We know they like to trap," he said.

For much of Friday night, Punahou was a champion on the ropes. Mililani’s power game was unlike anything the Buffanblu had seen in a long time. Liva (18 points, 18 rebounds) was basically unstoppable when she got touches in the paint. She hit four foul shots in a row to propel Mililani to its biggest lead, 35-29, midway through the third quarter.

Then came Punahou’s push, and after Motooka scored on the break for a three-point play, Punahou was on a 10-0 run and led 39-35 early in the fourth quarter.

"We knew they would step up the defense," Trojans coach Patrick Basilio said of Punahou. "We were able to deal with it for the most part, but we had some untimely mistakes."

The Trojans stayed close and were within three after two foul shots by Summer Bolibol made it 44-41 with 1:55 left. They went cold, though, as Liva failed to get a pass in the final minutes. Elle Uyeda hit three of four free-throw tries to extend the lead to 49-41 with 43 seconds to go.

Mikaela Limper (six points) converted a four-point play after swishing a corner 3 and the ensuing foul shot with 26 seconds remaining.

But trusty Kamaile Kandiah, a freshman guard, swished four foul shots in a row to seal the win for Punahou.

Shantel Appleby, a 5-10 sophomore, added eight points for Mililani (22-4). The OIA runner-up will meet Hilo in a third-place matchup at 5 p.m. Saturday at Blaisdell.

When the Buffanblu trapped, the Trojans didn’t execute consistently.

"We didn’t find that open player on the double teams," Basilio said. 

MILILANI–Jerika Dacuycuy 3, Mikaela Limper 6, Shantel Appleby 8, Summer Bolibol 5, Sarah Liva 18, Kayla Torres 0, Velisa Maleisea 3, Kristen Tamagawa 0, Jamie Yuki 5.

3-point goals–Punahou 3 (Uyeda 2, Motooka). Mililani 3 (Dacuycuy, Limper, Yuki).